April 28 2024 Board Meeting Via Zoom
Meeting was called to order via conference call by Co-Chair Ron Green at 11:00 a.m. Board members present were Ron Green, Paul Bergren, Barb Schmitz, Gary Perkins, Charlie Lick and Katie Johnson. Excused absences were granted to Kathy Peterson, Lance Bauman and Kevin Smith.
Clearwater Forest Camp
The meeting was adjourned at 12:00 p.m.
Clearwater Forest Camp
- Camp graciously agreed to host the annual Lake Homeowner’s Meeting on May 25 from 9-11. Will request Camp provide Homeowners with an update on planned camp activities for the season and discuss opportunities for Lake Homeowners to participate (volunteer activities, establish an ice cream social, etc.) and to sponsor scholarships. Confirmed Saturday, July 13 will be the Adventure-a-Thon with pig roast, live music, silent auction and other activities. All Clearwater Lake homeowners are welcome to attend. More details will be shared at annual meeting and emailed in advance of the event.
- Gary discussed Camp scholarship matching grant program and clarified donation levels we should strive for in this year’s campaign. Will recap all of this at annual meeting.
- Gary coordinated with Lance, Director of Site and Operations for the Camp, for a volunteer day Saturday, May 18 to help with spring clean-up activities, trail clearing, etc. Lake Board will send email to all Lake Homeowners with details and sign-up instructions.
- Barb Schmitz, Treasurer, reported there is about $35,000 in the treasury. Barb and Gary to prepare 2024 budget.
- Board discussed outside contractor expenses for 2024 based on our Lake Health Calendar. Planned activities for this year include:
- Aquatic plant and water quality surveys. Barb to obtain proposals/quotations for these surveys (combine as one survey vs two separate surveys).
- Boat launch monitoring: in early April, Board discussed and approved expense of about $1,200 to add additional inspection hours to the County’s boat launch monitoring program.
- Charlie reported our Limnologist consultant, James Johnson, recommended we consider testing our milfoil with a lab that can genetically identify if the milfoil is hybrid or Eurasian. Charlie to get quote on testing expense and Board to discuss this summer.
- Ron reported he met with a local independent contractor re: monitoring and clearing debris/obstructions from dam to culvert under CR8. Pricing: $70 per visit with $40-100 for removal of debris/obstructions. Board unanimously approved moving forward with contractor for two visits in May then one visit per month June – Sept. Board will assess effectiveness of program in the fall to determine program continuation and visit frequency.
- Ron presented lake water levels for 2023 and 2024 YTD and compared to Ordinary High Water and historical average. Water levels seem to be slightly higher than normal but will continue to monitor and record each month. Will discuss water levels during annual meeting and get Homeowner input.
- Discussed local happenings that should be shared with Lake Homeowners including new Deerwood Farmers Market and 100-year anniversary of Milford Mine accident, MN’s largest mine disaster. Will present details during annual meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 12:00 p.m.
May Board Email Discussions and Decisions
• Discussed contributing $1,000 to the 2nd annual Clearwater Forest Fest/Adventure-A-Thon, a July 13th event for the community to experience the camp with live entertainment, food, etc. All Board members agreed to sponsor event.
• Discussed conducting monthly water quality testing via A.W. Research Lab in Brainerd. Testing is monthly May – Sept for $289. Ron agreed to manage testing and driving water samples to lab for testing. All Board members agreed to this expense
• Discussed conducting monthly water quality testing via A.W. Research Lab in Brainerd. Testing is monthly May – Sept for $289. Ron agreed to manage testing and driving water samples to lab for testing. All Board members agreed to this expense
May 25 Board Meeting - Post Annual Lake Homeowner's Meeting
Ron proposed that Clearwater Forest Camp & Retreat Center’s annual donation of meeting space for the lake homeowner’s annual meeting be considered an in-kind donation in lieu of annual dues and to amend bylaws reflecting this status. All Board members agreed.
June - October Board Email Discussions and Decisions and Action Items
- Milfoil genetic testing. Charlie Lick confirmed with our limnologist consultant, James Johnson of Freshwater Scientific Services, the pricing for acquiring and submitting samples of our watermilfoil to a lab at Montana State University for genetic testing to be around $1,000. All Board members approved of this testing and expense.
- A lake homeowner requested the Board consider a proposal from St. Cloud-based LimnoPro Aquatic Science Inc. to write a Lake Management Plan, conduct an aquatic plant survey and create a sonar map of aquatic plant coverage, sediment hardness, and depth. Board members discussed with lake homeowner his objectives, reached out to LimnoPro to discuss the proposal, and then reviewed with the lake Board. Board determined the current Clearwater Lake Management Plan document is sufficient but did approve hiring LimnoPro to conduct the aquatic plant survey and sonar mapping. The Board’s Lake Management Plan and Lake Health Calendar calls for an aquatic plant survey every three years with 2024 being the year for the survey. The legacy company hired for the previous plant surveys was booked this summer so it made sense to move forward with LimnoPro for this survey. A donation was secured to cover the expense. Plant survey to be conducted in August with report issued by late Oct/early November and will be shared with all Lake Homeowners.
- The annual invasive aquatic plant survey was conducted by limnologist James Johnson of Freshwater Scientific Services in July and his report was issued shortly thereafter. Survey found 19.1 acres within the lake had some level of invasive Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM). A recommended herbicide treatment plan was discussed and approved by the Board and then submitted to the DNR for approval/permitting. The DNR approved the plan and treatment. Two treatments were scheduled – one in August in high boat traffic areas to decrease EWM fragmentation and spread, and one in September for the areas adjacent to bulrush/lily pads after the native vegetation has stopped growing to limit herbicide impact.
- Kathy Peterson reorganized sections of the association website content and asked Board members to review and provide any input. Any input from lake homeowners is welcomed as well.
- Beaver issues – our Nokasippi inspection contractor (Christian Gutenkauf of Central Minnesota Nuisance Trapping) reported a beaver dam at the CR8 culvert. Ron Green contacted the Crow Wing County officials and the County Highway Dept cleared the debris so no major obstructions were holding back water. The Highway Dept said they would increase monitoring of the culvert and handle any debris removal. In addition, if the debris is from beavers, the County would contact one of their contracted beaver trappers as they need to keep the culvert open to not compromise the road. This allows us to modify/revisit our contractor inspection Scope of Service for 2025 and reduces lake homeowner expense as the County would cover any beaver removal expense for this particular area of the Nokasippi.
November 11 2024 Board Meeting Via Zoom
Meeting was called to order via conference call by Co-Chair Ron Green. Board members present were Ron Green, Paul Bergren, Barb Schmitz, Gary Perkins, Charlie Lick, Kathy Peterson, Lance Baumann and Katie Johnson. Excused absence was granted to Kevin Smith.
- Discussed year-end Lake Homeowner’s December Zoom call held last 3-4 years. Had limited attendance last few years believe due to time of year so Board agreed to discontinue Zoom call and send all Lake Homeowners via email a year-end review/recap document along with Board meeting minutes to be distributed in early 2025.
- Discussed financials – donations and year-to-date balance was at $25k which is below our target reserve of $50k. Board agreed we most likely will have on-going annual Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM) treatment expenses between $20-30k. Board also discussed that the funding for the lake management initiatives should be more fair/equitable for all lake homeowners and this will require additional funding and participation. Board to conduct historical recap of lake homeowner financial participation compared to forecasting expenses and exploring possible funding mechanisms – grants, fundraisers, Lake Improvement District (LID) assessment program, donations, etc. Katie to conduct initial research; Barb to recap historical participation.
- Discussed results of hiring outside contractor for inspecting Nokasippi River from boat launch to CR8 culvert (debris clearing, beaver control). All Board members agreed service provided visibility, peace of mind and had value for the minimal expense. Board approved continuing service for 2025 (Ron to draft 2025 Scope of Service for contractor to be defined by end of March).
- Discussed matching grant scholarship program for Clearwater Forest Camp funding three scholarships (up to $2,000) if obtaining matching dollars from Lake Homeowners. All Board members agreed. Gary Perkins and Ron Green to work on messaging to be sent to Lake Homeowners with commitment for contributions by end of year.
- Discussed beaver task force to research approved, alternative or more sustainable methods of beaver control. Will connect and discuss with State and County officials and present findings to all Lake Homeowners at annual meeting in May. Paul Bergren and Ron Green to lead effort.
- Recapped lake water quality reports – five samples tested and show lake chemistry in-line with state standards and no alarming issues. All reports were emailed with context comments to all Lake Homeowners along with Secchi disk readings from lake water monitor volunteers (Bill Moore and Julie Guth).
- Discussed status of plant survey report – contractor said to expect to receive report in late Oct / early November.
- Boat launch inspections – Crow Wing County provided 215 hours of inspection service and was able to provide 45 additional hours the Board requested. County recap report shows inspectors help prevent spread of invasives to other lakes and educate boaters on issues. Invasive spiny water flea is in Mille Lacs, attaches to fishing lines and the inspectors are also checking for this before boats are allowed into the lake. Board felt the expense was an inexpensive insurance policy that has value for the Lake Homeowners.
- Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Research and Management SHOWCASE. This September event was conducted by MAISRC (Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center) at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul campus. Charlie Lick, Gary Perkins and Ron Green attended and listened to several workshop presentations, toured labs and connected with subject matter experts to learn more about how their efforts to deliver research-based solutions to Minnesota’s aquatic invasive species problems.
- Crow Wing County invasive species meeting – Charlie Lick attended event and provided a recap.
November Board Actions
Beaver task force – coordinated Zoom call with Board members and a lake homeowner who expressed interest in helping. Outlined next steps – connect with DNR Hydrologist and other officials, research/recap historical beaver-related expenses, etc. Plan to reconnect in early 2025.
December Board Actions
- Sent email in early December to all Lake Homeowners regarding matching grant program for scholarships for kids to attend Clearwater Camp in the summer. Sent reminder email to all Lake Homeowners in late December.
- Distributed report via email to all Lake Homeowners on genetic testing of Eurasian Water Milfoil (EWM) in Clearwater Lake. Lab testing showed samples were general EWM – no hybrid mutation.
- Distributed report via email to all Lake Homeowners on aquatic plant survey conducted by LimnoPro. Report highlights:
- Clearwater Lake has a rich and healthy diversity of native plants overall - the plant community has desirable characteristics for both recreation and conservation relative to many other lakes in Minnesota.
- Comparing the last three aquatic plant surveys (2018, 2021 and 2024), there is an increase in overall coverage and density of aquatic plants and greater overall plant diversity (more species - see table below and on page 14 of the report found on the webpage):
- Invasive plant - Eurasian water milfoil (EWM) was the only invasive found; however, curly leaf pondweed has been found in Clearwater in the past and the invasive starry stonewort has been found in Middle Cullen and Rush lakes in Crow Wing County. Notes: 1. The County-funded weekend summer boat launch inspection program and the additional hours paid for by our lake homeowners is important to helping reduce the likelihood of these being introduced into Clearwater while also reducing future management costs; 2. The invasive spiny water flea has invaded Lake Mille Lacs so inspectors are looking for this as well when conducting their boat and fishing gear inspections.
- EWM and herbicide treatment (pages 12 and 13 of the report) - EWM growth negatively impacts the native plants it grows with and our spot herbicide treatment approach to EWM does not seem to indicate there was any decline in native plants.
- “With any herbicide application there can be concern of non-target impacts to vegetative species that are deemed desirable for the lake. Literature has not shown large scale negative impacts on non-target vegetation from small scale spot treatments of plants, similar to what is being done on Clearwater Lake. On the other hand, there is scientific support for the growth of Eurasian watermilfoil to negatively impact native plants it grows with. There does not seem to be evidence from the series of surveys done from 2018 to present that there is widespread decline in native plants in general or specifically in connection to herbicide treatments done on this lake. Nonetheless, without doing a designed experiment it’s impossible to make any causative statement on the matter. If there continues to be concern about herbicide treatments creating negative non-target impacts, we would suggest experiments to test associated hypotheses.”
- This supports our regularly stated goals found in our Lake Management Plan:
- Lake water quality was excellent.
- Lake plant surveys should continue every three years.
